A plane crash at Hay, 1927

I have talked about Tom Tansey who was bandmaster at Hay in south-west New South Wales from 1919 to 1923.  When he and the family left town  they left behind people  who were to become life-long friends and daughter Vera left behind a fiance, later to become an ex-fiance.

So it is no surprise that that they kept in touch with these people and occasionally they were sent photos taken in Hay.  Two such photos were taken on December 27th 1927.  It was big news in the town as that afternoon  a passenger aircraft called Satin Bird had crashed when taking off from the Hay airfield. I’ll use these for today’s theme which is blurred photos

The plane had come from Adelaide that morning and on board were the pilot and mechanic, two English lady exchange teachers, a Japanese couple on a honeymoon trip and a Hay resident.

Just like today’s papers you are not quite sure what to believe.

The plane is not beyond repair OR the plane is a total write-off.

Came from Adelaide OR  came from Melbourne.

Is in hospital in a serious condition OR no-one was detained.

Now the pilot”s name was Basil Daish and it seems he was to have an interesting life.  Look what the Sydney Morning Herald and others  reported on him  in November 1930.

Aviator Stuns Woman To Stop Her Jumping From Plane

ALMOST A CRASH IN STRUGGLE Pilot Blindfolded By Torn Coat -WOMAN DESPERATE

SYDNEY, Sunday.— Five hundred feet above Mascot Aerodrome yesterday, Capt. Basil Daish, formerly of Australian Aerial Services, had to knock a woman unconscious to prevent her from hurling herself from the plane. During the struggle the woman’s hands came in contact with the controls, and it was with the greatest difficulty that Capt. Daish prevented a crash. She was later taken to a reception house. After telling the police that she had intended to leap out of the plane, she said she was living apart from her husband. The pilot was hired for a flight that would have taken I5 minutes, but he had not been long in the air when the woman, who was in the front cockpit, tried to leap from the plane. Capt. Daish struggled with her. but was fighting: a losing battle when he decided to knock her unconscious.

HIT ON CHIN .He hit her on the chin and then descended. Just before landing the woman regained partial consciousness and made another attempt to leave the plane. Capt. Daish pushed her back. She was taken from the machine in an hysterical condition and rushed to South Sydney Hospital. Before that the police are alleged to have found a bottle of poison in her possession. Capt. Daish said tonight that’ when half-.way between Mascot and the Harbour Bridge he saw the woman stand up. The safety belt was undone. After realising what she intended to do. he tried to force her back, keeping one hand on the controls. The plane sideslipped several times. She fought back, and In the struggle her coat was torn and It wrapped itself around his head. He threw it clear, and again tried to force his passenger into her seat.. As he thought that he was losing altitnde. he took the extreme action of striking her. In the struggle a wire stay  and glass in the cockpit were smashed .

But to come back to Hay.  Here are a couple more 1920s photos of  of a plane at Hay airfield, one which Vera Tansey was about to board. One can only wonder if they were also photos of the Satin Bird,

In the first photo she and her fiance are  the couple to the right

whereas in tthe second photo she stands between two other women on the right hand side while her fiance does the man thing and inspects the plane.

Other misty photos can be seen through the links  on Sepia Saturday.